Burning Desires
by writergirl26
Summary: Denise is struggling with Frank's deployment, her restlessness with where her life currently is. She had just lost everything because she cheated on Frank and she's realizing that the burning desire she has is she's falling in love with her best friend. After she tells Claudia Joy the truth, together they have to deal with the fallout to get their happy ending. Please Review!
1. Chapter 1

Denise Sherwood loved her husband, Major Frank Sherwood more than anything but she was tired of being alone. She married him at nineteen and she had known then what she was getting into, but now she questioned if this was really what she wanted her future to be.

Frank's life would always be completely devoted to the army. Duty before family, duty above all else; that had been Frank's motto for their entire marriage. For a long time, Denise understood that and she had supported him through the good and the bad, but she had her own needs that deserved to be met. Recently, she had learned the hard way that life's way too short to simply exist.

Getty and Mac had taught her that. They had also taught her about love, and having hopes and dreams. They showed her that there was more to life than sitting around waiting for Frank's occasional visit stateside. Denise needed to find herself beyond being Mrs. Frank Sherwood.

She had let herself fall for Getty and he was dead. She had fallen for Mac and he left. Everyone she cared for always ended up gone or dead. She didn't want anyone else in her life to suffer that same fate. In an attempt to be happy, Denise had lost her job, her friends had turned their backs on her for the stupid army code, and she had disgraced her husband's career. She had nothing left to live for, but nothing hurt her worse than the night Claudia Joy slammed the door in her face.

Claudia Joy and Denise had been best friends for over twenty years. She couldn't lose her now, not over this. Denise never denied that what she did was wrong, but what did that say about her friends that they were willing to turn their backs on her so easily? She had to wonder if they had ever really been her friend in the first place. She could have looked passed it if it had been Roxy, or Pamela, maybe even Roland, but Claudia Joy, that broke her heart.

Lately, she had noticed her feelings for Claudia Joy changing, evolving into something more. She had never looked at a woman, any woman in a romantic sort of way. She had only ever been with Frank until recently, but there was just something about Claudia Joy. She was different, unlike anyone she'd ever met before. Denise found herself getting lost in Claudia Joy's sparkling brown eyes, and her smile lit up the room.

The sudden change in her feelings for Claudia Joy scared her and now there was nothing she could do about it. Even if she could find the nerve to explain her feelings to her best friend, Claudia Joy wanted nothing to do with her. Her actions had cost her the one person she cared about most in the world, outside of her son.

Once again, she sat in the house alone. Both Frank and Jeremy were overseas. It was bad enough being alone in the house on a good day, but now she couldn't even call her friends. All she had was her own feelings and her emotions. With each lonely night that passed, she grew to hate herself even more.

Soon Frank would get wind of the situation, they always did. That's just how the army worked. There were never any secrets. He'd likely get leave to come deal with his _domestic situation_ and it would be as if her life as an Army wife never existed.

She crawled into her bed that night, broken and alone. All she could think about was Claudia Joy. Her phone sat on the night stand and her finger tips ached to type out a text message to her friend. Sure, Claudia Joy had a lot of her own drama going on right now, but they had never been so distant that they couldn't talk. All night, Denise tossed and turned. She didn't sleep a wink.

Her alarm went off at seven a.m. like it did every day. She rolled over, her eyes bloodshot because she'd never slept for more than five minutes the whole night. She looked at her cell phone again, resting on the night stand, calling out to her to text Claudia Joy. Denise took a deep breath and stood, padding across the floor into the bathroom to shower. As she stripped her robe off, she thought more and more about Claudia Joy and finally walked back to her bed, grabbing her phone and typing the message before she had a chance to talk herself out of it:

 _I know you hate me because of what I did to Frank and I don't blame you but we've been friends for more than twenty years, Claudia Joy. I can't lose you too. Please don't give up on me! I need you._

Once she put the phone down, she was able to let out a sigh of relief. It was a weight off her shoulders. She made the first move and there was nothing else she could do. Claudia Joy would either respond or she wouldn't. If she didn't, Denise would be crushed, but she wouldn't push it anymore. After she finished her shower, she wrapped her hair in a towel and walked out to the living room. She was craving a good omelet, but stopped when there was a knock on the door. _"Who could that be this early?"_ she asked herself and walked to the door.

She stopped, her face turning white when she saw Claudia Joy standing before her. "Claudia Joy," she said quietly.

"Denise," Claudia Joy began. "You're my best friend, I don't hate you."

"Sure seemed like it the other night when you slammed the door in my face," said Denise. "You're the last person I expected that from Claudia Joy. We've been through hell and back together and you did that. Do you know how much that hurt?"

Denise could see the pain in her friend's eyes and she desperately wanted to wrap her arms around her, but she had to restrain herself. She hesitated when Claudia Joy reached out and took her hands. "You're right," she said. "We've been through hell and back and I shouldn't have turned my back on you no matter how wrong I think your choices were. That's not what friends do. I'm sorry. For whatever its worth, I'm here now."

Claudia Joy was too good. No matter how hard Denise tried, she couldn't stay mad at the woman. She stepped back and allowed Claudia Joy to enter the house, but all she could do was look at her every so often. She didn't know what to say to her, not now, not after what happened.

"Denise, hey," Claudia Joy reached over and lifted her chin so she had to look at her. "Talk to me. Don't shut me out just to pay me back. I'm here, I want to help, I want to make things right with us."

"I don't know if anything will ever be right again," Denise said.

Claudia Joy looked at her curiously. "What aren't you telling me? What's going on? Did something happen to Frank or Jeremy?"

"No, no, nothing like that," said Denise.

"Then what is it?" Claudia Joy asked. "I can tell there's something really weighing on you."

"I'm having really strong feelings for someone that means the world to me and by telling that person I may very well lose them. That's something I am terrified of so I don't know how to tell them," Denise explained.

"Strong feelings as in romantic feelings?" Claudia Joy pushed.

"Yes," said Denise. "I think I'm falling in love with that person and I don't know how to tell them."

Claudia Joy sighed, rubbing her head. "Who is it? Maybe I can help you find a way to tell them the truth."

Denise looked up at her, wide eyed. "What?"

"If you aren't happy with Frank anymore, if Frank isn't the one then we need to do something to change your life. You need to be happy and so does Frank so if he's not the one you need to leave. Who is it that you're having feelings for?" She asked again.

"You."

Claudia Joy gasped. "What?"

"It's you Claudia Joy," Denise said. "I love you."


	2. Chapter 2

Claudia Joy stood completely still and in shock. Of all the things Denise could have said to her that was not what she'd expected. She loved Denise very much and she always would, but she wasn't in love with her.

"Denise…I…I really don't know what to say," Claudia Joy finally said. "I love you, I do, but not the way you want me to. You're my best friend in the world and you always will be, but I can't give you what you want."

She could see her words were cutting through Denise like a knife and that hurt her worse than she ever could have imagined. The last thing she ever wanted to do was be the cause of Denise's pain. Claudia Joy had watched her best friend go through so much pain in so little time. She feared that this would destroy her.

"I understand Claudia Joy," Denise replied, inhaling deeply, and trying to hold back her emotions.

"Denise…" Claudia Joy trailed off, touching her friend's arm. "I'm so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you. Ever. I should go," Claudia Joy kissed her cheek as she always did when they parted ways, and she nearly ran from Denise's house.

Once she had reached the safety of her truck, she broke down in tears. She had never looked at anyone other than Michael in a romantic sense. Male or Female. She'd never considered the possibility of there being anyone else for her, except him. She and Denise had been best friends for a lot of years and together they had faced some of the scariest times of their lives together. Lately, she had kept her distance from Denise. In part, that was because of Michael and his need to keep up appearances as the Post Commander but, Claudia Joy wondered now if there wasn't some underlying reason for her sudden need to shy away from the one person she could always depend on.

After a good cry, she pulled out of Denise's driveway and drove home, trying her best to put it out of her mind. She touched up her makeup and walked inside as if nothing had happened. Michael smiled and kissed her cheek. "Hi Honey."

"Morning Michael," she said, sitting her purse down on the kitchen island. "Can I make you some eggs before you go to work?"

"No, I'm good. Where were you off to first thing this morning?" He asked, raising a brow at her.

"Denise needed some help," she answered. It wasn't a complete lie.

"Now Claudia Joy, what did I tell you about that? Stay away from that woman! She disgraced my friend and gave the Army a bad name."

Claudia Joy glared at him. She loved that man so fiercely, but sometimes he was so infuriating she could see herself ringing his neck. "Agree to disagree Michael. She's my friend and although, I don't agree with her actions I will not abandon her the way everyone else has. That is one thing you cannot make me do so let it go."

Michael stared her down, clearly gauging whether or not he should bring this to war, but he eventually backed down. "I don't want her in this house. Understand?"

Claudia Joy scoffed and handed him his coffee in his usual to-go cup. "Have a good day General Holden." She walked out of the kitchen without another word, doing everything in her power to hold her tongue.

She sat down on the front porch, looking out at the neighborhood kids as they rushed off to school and she thought of her daughter, Amanda. Denise had been the one to support Claudia Joy through the loss of Amanda and Denise had been the one to keep coming back for more even when Claudia Joy was being cruel.

Right about now is when Denise would normally walk up onto the porch and they'd sit and talk about all the plans for the next FRG meeting, or how Frank and Jeremy were doing on deployment, or Emmalin in her last few years of high school. Anything to keep their minds off all the real problems on their minds. That was what they did; Claudia Joy and Denise supported each other through thick and thin, good and bad, and now, Claudia Joy had let her down.

Throughout the rest of the day, Claudia Joy straightened up the house, attended to some Post business, and then joined the rest of her close group of friends at the Hump Bar. "Is Denise coming?" asked Roxy, the tiny little, loud mouth blonde, and the newest member of their group. Claudia Joy had known Denise, Roland, and Pamela for a long time, but Roxy had just fell right into sync with their group.

"I honestly don't know," said Claudia Joy. "I haven't talked to her."

Roland shrugged. "I can't say that I have either."

"A lot of people are against talking to her," said Roxy. "She screwed up big time."

"Hey now," Pamela chimed in. "C'mon now Rox, I think we can all agree that she made some mistakes, but Denise is still our friend. How do we just turn our backs on her?"

"We don't!" Claudia Joy snapped, sitting upright. "She needs us and as her friends we need to be there for her. She's going through a rough time, dealing with this deployment, the death of her friend. We are the ones that screwed up."

"Someone should go talk to her," said Pamela.

Immediately, Claudia Joy wanted to raise her hand, but she stopped herself. Denise wouldn't want to see her, not after she had shot Denise's romantic advances down flat this morning. She wished she could make Denise understand. It wasn't that Denise wasn't beautiful with her perfect body, her dazzling smile, and that cute little twinkle in her eye.

"I'll go," Roland said, snapping Claudia Joy out of her very disturbing thoughts.

"Um thanks Roland," she replied. "Give her our love."

"Will do," he answered and headed for his truck.

Claudia Joy smiled, looking from Roxy to Pamela, and then at her phone, resting on the bar beside her. Her fingers itched to text Denise after those disturbing thoughts. She couldn't get Denise out of her head and they were all very similar thoughts to the one she had just had. Finally, she grabbed her cell phone while Pamela and Roxy talked about god only knows what and she typed out a text message:

 _Denise, I'm so sorry for everything. I really want to see you. It's important. About your big confession this morning. Text back…please? Xxx CJ_

Claudia Joy inhaled deeply as she put her phone in her pocket. Now, all she could do was wait and hope Denise would give her a second chance. She had to find a better way to explain the whole thing without ruining their friendship because no matter how much she loved Michael and the life they had built together, her friendship with Denise was one of the most important parts of her life. Despite Michael's instance, it was also one aspect of her life she wouldn't sacrifice for the good of Michael's career.

She sipped her beer and picked at her gumbo. She had no appetite because all she could picture was Denise sitting alone in her house, thinking, and probably crying because they had all left her out in the cold. Claudia Joy had literally slammed the door in her face. The Hump Bar's phone ringing, caught her off guard and once again snapped her out of her thoughts. The expression on Roxy's face going from bad to worse made Claudia Joy perk up and try to listen to what was going on.

"Oh no," Roxy muttered. "I'll close up shop and we'll head over there right now. Thanks for calling Roland."

"What's wrong?" Claudia Joy asked, becoming immediately worried. Roland was calling with some sort of bad news, but he was supposed to be visiting Denise. Her heart and mind raced with the possibilities of what could have happened.

"There's been an accident," said Roxy. "It's Denise and Roland said it wasn't good. We have to get down to Mercer, NOW!"

"Let's go! I'll drive!" Pamela cried out as she grabbed her keeps and started running for the door. The other two women were in toe and together the three of them rushed into the Emergency Room waiting area.

Claudia Joy finally ran past her friends and up to the nurse's station. "Denise Sherwood," she said. "What room is she in? I need to see her!"

"I'm sorry Mrs. Holden," said one of the nurses. "Mrs. Sherwood is still in surgery and I can't update you on her condition just yet."

"Can you tell me how bad it was?" Claudia Joy asked, grasping at straws.

The nurse's face fell, telling Claudia Joy all she needed to hear. "I'm sorry Mrs. Holden, I can't confirm anything, but I can tell you it doesn't look well for her."

"Thank you," said Claudia Joy. She could barely make it across to the benches where Pamela and Roxy sat, waiting for news about Denise.

It took hours for them to bring her out of surgery, leaving Claudia Joy beside herself and barely holding it together. She had broken Denise's heart and now she may never have the chance to make it right. Michael had called, telling her that he needed her home immediately. They fought because she told him, for the first time ever, no chance in hell.

"Doctor? How is she?" Claudia Joy asked, the moment she saw a long faced doctor walk through the double doors and into the waiting room.

"Mrs. Holden, I am going to be honest with you," he began. "I don't know if she's going to pull through this or not. Her injuries are extensive and she's going to be dealing with a lot if and when she wakes up."

"Can I see her?" Claudia Joy asked, trying to remain strong.

"You can go in one at a time," he answered.

Roland, Pamela, and Roxy smiled at her, letting her know it was okay to go first. She walked slowly into the room, struggling to hold in her tears as she looked at Denise hooked up to all sorts of machines. Her hand shook as she sat beside Denise's bed, and picked up her hand.

"Oh Denise," she said softly, reaching up and moving a piece of hair from her friend's face. "You've got to wake up. You can't leave me." She could feel the river of tears begin to flow down her cheeks and for once, she didn't care about appearances or how it would be perceived that the General's wife was standing over the bed of the Hester Prynne of Fort Marshall. "Open your eyes and come back to me Denise, I need you, damn it." Something inside her snapped, because looking at Denise in that moment, she realized why she had pushed her away recently. It had nothing to do with her choices being wrong, or disgracing Frank and the army. She rested her hand on Denise's cheek and leaned down closer to her. "Denise, you've got to wake up because… because I love you too."


	3. Chapter 3

Denise didn't wake up for four days. Her body ached like she'd been run over by an eighteen- wheeler. Her eyes stung as she opened them, but she immediately saw Claudia Joy by her side. She smiled softly, realizing her friend was fast asleep.

"She hasn't left your side for four days," Roland said, standing in the doorway.

"I've been knocked out for four days?" Denise asked in shock.

"You were beat up pretty bad, Denise. We were all worried you weren't coming back to us," he said.

She nodded and looked down at Claudia Joy once more. "You said she's been here the whole time? That's surprising to me."

"She hasn't left your side from the moment they brought you out of recovery."

"Can I have a moment alone with her Roland?" Denise asked, not wanting Roland to see her tears.

"Oh sure, but just so you know Roxy and Pamela are out here too. I'll check on you in a bit."

"Thanks Roland," she said and waited for him to shut the door, then walk away before shaking Claudia Joy gently. "Claudia Joy, wake up."

After a minute, she lifted her head and wiped the sleep from her eyes. For a split second, Denise thought Claudia Joy would kiss her, but she realized it was just more dreaming on her part.

"Denise!" Claudia Joy cried, then stood up and threw her arms around her. "I thought I'd lost you! I was so worried!"

Denise closed her eyes, burying her face in her friend's hair, and enjoying this brief moment of tenderness. "No, never. I'm okay. I'm surprised you're here though."

"Why wouldn't I be here Denise?" Claudia Joy asked, taking a step back.

There was a long moment where Denise couldn't bring herself to utter the words again, it had hurt so much the first time when Claudia Joy rejected her, and she couldn't do it again. "Because," she said softly. "Because of my confession a few days ago."

Claudia Joy sighed and sat back down beside her, taking her hand. "That's not fair Denise. You're my best friend and I love you. Regardless of what happened or things said, there's nowhere else in the world I would be right now. You know that."

Tears fill Denise's eyes and she looks up to meet Claudia Joy's gaze. "I don't want to lose you."

"You are never going to lose me," Claudia Joy told her. "There's nothing that will ever come between us Denise…never."

Denise squeezed her hand. "I really hope that's true. I feel like we just found a way to get beyond all the drama with Jackie."

She could see Claudia Joy sigh deeply. "We did honestly, but that even when we're having problems it doesn't change how much I love you, how much I've always loved you."

Something made Denise look up at Claudia Joy. The tone in her voice was different, almost scared. When she met her friend's gaze, Claudia Joy was staring at her. "It sounds like you're trying to tell me something Claudia Joy. Please just say it."

She watched Claudia Joy move to sit on the bed and take both of her hands once more. "You didn't hear me when you were still unconscious, did you?" Claudia Joy asked, rubbing the back of Denise's hand.

"If I did, I don't remember what you said. Why?" Denise asked. She could see something was really eating at Claudia Joy. "Whatever it is, just tell me."

Claudia Joy smiled at her. "Denise…I…" She trailed off. Denise to see Claudia Joy was struggling with whatever it was and that only made her more nervous. The woman took a few deep breaths before reaching up and stroking Denise's cheek.

"Claudia Joy-"

"Shh…" Claudia Joy whispered as she leaned forward and pressed her lips against Denise's, kissing her deeply.

Denise gasped, but returned the kiss without hesitation, only pulling back when she needed air.

Claudia Joy smiled at her. "I love you too Denise, I love you too."


	4. Chapter 4

Claudia Joy watched Denise sleep, smiling. She had been completely relaxed since she kissed Denise and admitted her feelings; things couldn't have been any better. They would have to tell Michael and Frank and she knew that wouldn't be pretty, but Claudia Joy wasn't worried anymore. If she'd learned anything in recent days, it was that life was too short to ignore what makes you truly happy.

She and Michael had built an amazing life together and brought two incredible daughters into the world, but Denise brought something into her life that was missing and had been for a long time. True love and passionate romance. Every time she looked at Denise, her stomach filled with butterflies. Now, she realized she'd been ignoring those butterflies for a long time.

"Enjoying the view?" Denise asked, pulling Claudia Joy from her thoughts.

Claudia Joy looked up, blushing. "Oh that's not fair," she said. "You aren't supposed to wake up and catch me checking you out."

"I'm glad I woke up," Denise said, grinning from ear to ear. "I like waking up to see you staring at me."

Claudia Joy grinned and leaned forward, planting a soft kiss against her lips. "Get used to it."

Denise smirked. "Easy enough."

"Good," said Claudia Joy. "Cause I'm not going anywhere."

"As thrilled as I am about this, we can't hide forever, Claudia Joy. You know we are going to have to tell Michael and Frank."

Claudia Joy sighed, looking down. "I know," she said softly. "I am happy, but I do hate what this is going to do to them. They didn't do anything to deserve this."

"I hate it too sweet-heart," Denise said. "But we have to remember that we're not doing them any favors by lying to them about how we feel."

Claudia Joy knew she was right and she didn't regret her decision, not for a second, but she hated the thought of hurting Michael. She had loved that man for as long as she could remember and truthfully, she still did, but she loved Denise in ways that were much different from the way she loved him. Denise brought a new passion to her life; her love for Denise was new and it gave her hope.

"We will tell them eventually," she finally said. "Right now your recovery is more important to me than anything else. Michael knows I'm staying with you until you're okay so everything's fine for now."

"Michael wouldn't be saying that if he knew the truth. That's a pretty big risk to take Claudia Joy," Denise said. "God knows I don't want to let you out of my sight, but until we tell them the truth, we'll have to be extremely careful."

Claudia Joy kissed the palm of her hand, smiling softly. She wanted to reassure Denise as much as she could, but she wasn't sure how much she could without lying to her. "Trust me, Denise. Everything will be okay. Nothing will change our plans, but you really need to get your rest and focus on your recovery right now. Okay? I promise, nothing's changed, but let's not worry about that stuff right now. All that matters is we're together now." Now wasn't the time for Denise to worry about anyone but herself; Claudia Joy still had a lot to work through in her own mind before she could commit to altering the course of their lives in ways they couldn't change.

She knew that both of them would have a long road ahead of them, but she wanted to take it slow and see how things went for the both of them. Denise needed to be okay, nothing else mattered at the moment. Besides, she didn't want to tell Denise that although she was in love with her and she wanted this as much as Denise did, she wasn't sure if she was ready to leave Michael and the Army life behind.


	5. Chapter 5

_Hey guys! Sorry it's taken me so long to write the next chapter of the story. I needed to watch some Army Wives to get inspired again and make sure I portrayed the characters the way I wanted to. I have to make sure I do them justice. Thanks for following! Reviews are welcomed! Keep in Mind, if you are a fan of the Holden Family, you may not want to continue to read my story. I'm a Holden family fan, myself, but I also found inspiration in the idea of Denise and Claudia Joy and as a writer, I had to explore the possibilities._

Denise had been thrilled when Claudia Joy kissed her and confessed that she wanted all the same things Denise did, but it didn't take Denise long to figure out that Claudia Joy was scared. She wondered if Claudia Joy had only said that because Denise almost died. She had been home from the hospital for a week and for the most part, Claudia Joy hadn't left her side. Today was different. Today, she had errands to run, FRG responsibilities to attend to, and a lunch meeting with Michael to plan for an upcoming post banquet. Now, she had given Denise far too much time to think about their situation. Worse, she had given Denise too much time to question whether Claudia Joy really wanted the same things she did.

"Mom?" She heard the front door open and she stood up quickly.

"Jeremy? " She walked around the corner and there stood her son, still in his uniform and carrying a bag. "Oh honey, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be in Afghanistan with your father." She wrapped her arms around her son, happy to see him.

"I was, but when he and I heard about your accident, I asked for leave and it got approved. I'm home for the next few days and then I'll have to report back, but Dad and I needed to know you were okay," said Jeremy. "What the heck happened to you?"

"I was hit head on by a pick-up truck and then t-boned by another car," Denise explained. "From what the doctors tell me, I nearly died. I was unconscious for four days."

"Yeah, that's what Mrs. Holden and General Holden told us when we talked to them on video chat. General Holden said not to worry that Mrs. Holden was taking care of you like always, but Dad and I just couldn't shake the feeling that you weren't okay. He wanted to be here, and he wrote you a letter. It's in my bag. There was just a lot going on down there and he couldn't get away so I volunteered to come back."

"Well thank you, Jeremy, but it wasn't necessary Honey. I'm doing just fine and Mrs. Holden is taking great care of me. She just stepped out to run some errands and get some stuff done," Denise said, struggling to hide the truth from her son.

Jeremy hugged her again, a little tighter this time. "I'm just so glad you're okay, Mom. We were so worried. If something happened to you, Dad and I would never live with ourselves. You are the glue that holds this family together, you know that."

"I'm not going anywhere Jeremy, but I really wouldn't say I'm the glue," she said, smiling. "You and your Dad are very important parts of this family too and you'd survive without me. You're two of the strongest men I know. You two would have to lean on each other and support each other through the loss, but you'd make it."

"Don't even talk like that, Mom. I don't want to even consider the possibility of you dying," Jeremy said, walking over with her to the couch and sitting down. He opened up his bag and handed her the letter from Frank. "I'm going to go take a shower and give you some time to read the letter from Dad." He kissed the top of her head. "I love you Mom."

Denise smiled at her son; he was a totally different person from the boy that used to abuse her only a year ago. "I love you too, Jeremy." She waited for Jeremy to leave the room and then she opened the letter.

 _Dee-_

 _Baby, you have no idea how relived I am that you're okay. It's the scariest thing in the world, getting that call from General Holden and Claudia Joy that something had happened to you. Is that what you go through every time something happens to me over here? I'm so sorry for that. Oh Dee, I just couldn't imagine my life, Jeremy's life, without you in it. You are the light in our world, and without you this world would be a much darker place. I love you so much, Dee. You've got to promise me you'll be more careful. I can't be worried that I'm stuck over here doing my job with no way to get back to you and you're over there getting hit by cars and nearly dying on me. You can't leave me. You promised me forever, Dee, and I intend to hold you to that promise._

 _I promise, I'll call soon. I'm sorry things have been so busy over here and I haven't been able to call as much as I'd like, but I love you. As for everything else, we still have a lot to work through and deal with, but you have to stick around for that to happen._

 _All my love,_

 _Frank_

Denise sat for the longest time, just staring at the paper. After Frank found out about her transgressions, he had been so angry. She thought he'd never speak to her again and now because she nearly died, it seemed like she had back the Frank she had fallen in love with all those years ago. There was the man she'd always loved; she couldn't help but feel the smallest twinge of guilt, considering the secret she and Claudia Joy were holding back from Frank and Michael.

Frank had always been a good man. He'd given her and Jeremy an amazing life, and yes, he wasn't around often because of his career, but she knew deep down that he loved her. She had been so wrong to cheat on him and do the things she's done, but then her mind flashed to Claudia Joy, and she knew she loved her too. Not the way she loved Frank, though. Over the years, that love had changed; the love she felt for Claudia Joy was something far more passionate and powerful. She couldn't put into words, the love she had for Claudia Joy. The woman had completely turned her world upside down and there was nothing she could do to change that. Somehow, someway, she was going to need to make a decision. Would she stay with Frank and try to work things out again? Or would she tell Frank the truth and choose a life with Claudia Joy? Something inside her told her she already knew what her heart wanted to do, but she couldn't help but worry that Claudia Joy wouldn't be able to make the same choice.

 _Don't worry it won't take me as long to update again! Chapter 5 should be posted sometime later today or at the latest, tomorrow! Please review! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Sorry it's so short, but it seemed like the perfect chapter to show just a little more conflict. These two are not going to be all sunshine and roses, they will definitely face some trials. The question is, will they end up together or will they stay with Michael and Frank?_


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